CORVETTE RULESHEET BY Cameron Silver
_______________________________________________________________________________
Design Team:
============
Concept/Design: Jorge Alfredo
Gomez Y Marth
Software/Design: Tom Uban
Mechanics/Design: Tomas M. Kopera
Origonal sounds/Music: Paul Heitsch
Software effects: Bill Grupp
Art graphics: Dan Hughes
Dot Matrix art: Eugene Geer
Scott Matrix
All Guitars: Vince Pontarelli
Rule sheet: Cameron Silver ;-)
Comments:
=========
It's a weird one! The lockdown bar and exposed metal is all black and feels
very much like a Data East machine. I hope Corvette is the only game like
this. It's not that I'm having a go at DE, it's just that I like the fact
that the two companies produce machines that are different in as many ways
possible.
The sound is disappointing. The main play music is far too repetitive. Just
one short guitar riff over-and-over again. There are however, lots of beefy
roaring engine noises that I quite like. The game over music is terrific!
The female character is a pain.
The display is great. Lots of really nice animation. For example, the
Bonus X, Replay, Extra Ball, Quadra Jets and Car Awarded from Route 66.
The test features are great for the Engine and Race .. well done here.
This game also features lamp Row and Column tests .. well done once again
[I hope this test will become a new standard].
The outlanes didn't give me a lot of problems, but the centre drain seemed
to be a real trendy destination for balls..
The game takes getting used to. Stick with it as it's a very good game
once you get familiar with it. It has some fresh new ideas, and the gimmicks
are cool.
Congrats go to the designer of the Engine (I assume that is Tomas M.
Kopera). This could have been a complicated nightmare, but it's so
simple even a Lyle could fix it!
Playfield Layout:
=================
The game has a MANUAL PLUNGER!!! Yey!
I'll start from the bottom left, and go around in a clockwise direction.
Left Flipper - Standard length.
Left Inlane - Can be lit for extra ball.
Left Outlane - Has a kickback. Balls kicked out from here are fed neatly to
the upper flipper.
Three Bank - Three red standup targets. Completing them lights Turbo Boost at
the spinner.
Upper Flipper - Very standard type of flipper. Push the button and away it
goes! Used to shoot the side loop, and side ramp.
Left Orbit - Starts at the upper flipper. The orbit goes around the back of
the machine and out the right orbit. Again, very standard. The kickback
feeds balls to this point, as does the lock, engine, side loop and right
orbit. There is a very sneaky one-way gate at the entrance of this orbit
(similar to the one leading out of the bumpers on Bride Of Pinbot) so
it is a really wide shot to hit, but balls always get fed nicely to the
flipper. Shot this orbit to light lock. There is a high score position
(World Speed Record) for the person who shoots the most consecutive Left
Orbits. An orbit IS credited if the ball dribbles into the LT1 roll-
over lanes. This can also be lit for Qualify (See the section in the rule
sheet).
Million Target - At the left of the left ramp entrance is a small stand-up
that awards millions when it's hit.
Left Ramp - Also the Engine. This feeds the engine (which I'll get to shortly).
This is the start multiball and lock shots as well as a few other things.
Engine - One of the big toys in the game. It is a large plastic engine that
shakes from side to side. The inside is lined with rubber, so the ball
bounces around a lot. The ball normally enters the engine at the front
(from the ramp) and passes right through, out the back and drops into the
orbit. The front of the engine has a one way gate so the ball won't come
flying back down the ramp. The back of the engine has a controlled gate.
Normally the gate is up and the ball passes right through, however when
the gate is closed, the ball stays in the engine which starts to shake.
Eventually the ball shakes its way to the front, there it falls down, and
into the lock. (The lock is the same as the one on Twilight Zone: A saucer
with room for two balls behind it.)
Pit In - A sinkhole that starts the Race (more later), spots a Blue Light (More
Later) or collects a hurry up. Balls put here are popped (with incredible
force) to a wire-form ramp which leads to the left inlane.
Spinner - This is situated over a small lane leading to the bumpers. The
spinner can be lit for Turbo Boost which is like Super/Ultra Spinner. I
could not work out how much per spin it was though. Turbo Boost is lit by
completing the Three Bank of targets.
Bumpers - Usual three in the all too familiar triangle shape. Can be lit for
Quadra Jets which is a million per bump much like Star Trek.
LT1 - Three rollover lanes above the bumpers that increase the bonus multiplier
when completed. Bonus X is 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x with lite EB. Then 10, 15, 20 etc
million after.
Side Loop - A small orbit much like the trapdoor shot on Funhouse. This is
the Horse Power Jackpot during multiball. Weak shots end up at the LT1
roll overs, while the rest go to the upper flipper. There is a high score
position (Cornering Champ) for the person who shoots the most consecutive
Side Loops. A side loop IS credited if the ball dribbles into the LT1
roll-over lanes. This can also serve as a Super Skill Shot shot.
Side Ramp - A ramp much like the skill shot one on Demolition Man. This ramp
curves around and feeds the ball back to the right inlane. This is the
Torque Jackpot during multiball. It can also serve as a Super Skill shot.
Raucous target - Shooting the right orbit->raucous target combo, will award
a letter in RAUCOUS. Each letter is worth 5 Million.
Right Ramp - Called the Route 66 ramp. It awards Route 66 awards every second
shot. It normally sends balls to the left inlane, but when a Route 66 is
awarded, the ball is diverted to a kicker down the back of the playfield.
Right Orbit - Fairly standard type of orbit. Weak shots feed into the LT1
rollovers, while the rest go to the upper flipper. There is a high score
position (World Speed Champ) for the person who shoots the most consecutive
Right Orbits. An orbit shot IS credited if the ball dribbles into the LT1
roll-over lanes.
Kick Back Target - A single large red standup that is used to re-light the
kickback. It's a piss easy shot and can be used as soon as the kickback
goes off. Note that it doesn't actually light until the kickback times
out, but it can still be used immediatly. On early ROMs (PA-1), the kick
back target seems to always flash.
Race Track - This extends from just above the plunger, right down the right
side to the back of the playfield. Two cars (one red, one blue) race each
other in the course of the game. This seems to be really well implemented,
the machine knows where both cars are at all times, and the race is played
on the display too for when the hardware fails.
Right Flipper - Standard length.
Right Inlane - Can be lit for extra ball.
Right Outlane - Usual type. Can be lit for extra ball.
Rules
=====
Skill Shot:
-----------
Like the Flintstones. The plunged ball bounces around the LT1 rollovers,
and you must steer the flashing light to the lane that the ball will go
through. First time is 5 Mil, then 10 Mil then 15 etc.. There does not appear
to be an upper limit on the skill shot value. The skill shot is available for
all plunged balls except ball saver ones. There is also a Super Skill Shot,
explained below. See the Bugs/Easter Eggs section for the skill shot bugs.
Super Skill Shot:
-----------------
If you hit LLRLL before plunging, the control gate near the LT1 roll-over
lanes will open, allowing the plunged ball to go to the upper flipper for
a shot at the side ramp, or loop. Hit RRLRR to close the gate again. The
initial values for the loop and ramp are 10 and 15 million, which increases
by 5 million for each successfull shot. The super skill shot is available for
all plunged balls except ball saver ones. See the Bugs/Easter Eggs section
for the skill shot bugs.
Modes:
------
Not modes as such, more like awards. Shoot the right ramp once and it will
tell you what the next award will be. Shoot it again and the ball will be
diverted to a kicker at the back of the playfield. The mode will start,
and the ball will be kicked to the left inlane. The diverter on our machine
was broken (that stupid spring-link). So I fixed it, but the new one broke
too! This would normally be OK, but there was NO COMPENSATION for it! The
ball would not be diverted, and it wouldn't start the mode. The modes are:
Catch Me: A slutty .. err ... nice lady .. pulls up in a car and says "Catch
me if you can!" You have 20 seconds to make each shot (the really cool
thing is that as the time counts down, each second speeds by on a road
sign!) The shots are Right orbit, then side ramp, then left ramp, then Pit
In. I have no idea how the scoring works, but the total for making all
shots is 230 Million. One shot is worth 32 Million, and three shots is
worth 144 Million. I don't know about two! The quotes are along the lines
of "Your some kind of driver". I'm surprised she doesn't then lick her
lips. Sometimes this mode is run in French! (With translations). If you
complete this, you'll start a 2 ball multiball with every target worth
500k.
Car Awarded: Awards a car (more later). The animation is amazing!
Pit In: A hurry up. Counts down from 60 Million (to 25). The quotes are cool,
"He's sliding around a wee bit. He'll have to change a tire". Shoot Pit In
to collect value. Once collected a two ball multiball starts and the Pit
re-awards the same value until 1 or more balls drain.
Quadra Jets: One million a pop much like Star Trek. (And a law-suit from
Apple).
Bonus X: Awards a bonus X.
Points: 25 million.
Special: Awards a special.
Extra Ball: Lights extra ball at the in/out lanes.
Race Today: This is lit with an inlay at the base of the ramp, every 8, 24,
40 etc, Spark Plugs. It's a brilliant video mode that's really a drag
race. The left flipper controls the accelerator, and the right shifts up
a gear. The display shows revs and the two slot cars race. It's very easy
to win, and it's all over pretty quick, but it's great fun. If you win, you
start a 2 ball multiball with every ramp worth 15 million. After completing
the Future Car, it is really hard to win the Drag Race. So be warned!
Multiball:
----------
Left orbit lights lock in the engine. For the first multiball it'll light
all three locks, for other multiballs it will only light one lock (and in
even LATER multiballs, the lock times out.). Shoot the engine to lock balls.
Each locked ball will award a car for the first multiball only. This is
not true of prototype ROMs.
When the third ball is shot into the engine, you start Rev Mode. This was
stupid. Hit the flippers to keep the revs up, and keep the engine shaking.
The longer it takes for the ball to fall in the lock, the more points you
get; the most is 50 million. As soon as the ball falls into lock, multiball
begins. All three balls will be kicked out to the upper flipper.
Both of these methods have been discovered!
Increase the jackpot by shooting the Side Ramp->Unlit Engine. This adds
20 Million, and usually happens during one of the 2-ball multiballs when the
engine is not lit for anything.
OR:
Increase the jackpots by shooting the engin when lock is not lit. Every
third or fourth shot will increase the jackpot.
The initial value of the Horse Power (Side Loop) is 50 Million, plus what
it was raised before hand. The Torque (side ramp) jackpot seems to start
at 30 million.
There is also a Super Jackpot for the Side Loop->Side Ramp combo. This
can be shot while one or both of the regular jackpots are lit. This is worth
double the Torque (Side Ramp) jackpot.
The Horse Power jackpot seems to max at 100 Million, which means you can
get 80 Million for Torque, and 200 Million for Super.
As soon as you have the 2 regular jackpots, they both relite for 20 Million
more.
Jackpot animation is really nice.
If two balls drain and no jackpots have been scored, you have 10 seconds
to shoot the engine to restart it. Restarted multiballs are two ball only.
You can get a jackpot in the grace period, and still restart multiball. Is
this a bug?
Collecting Cars:
----------------
Cars is the object of this game. There are 9 cars to collect, then the
wizard bonus. The cars are displayed in the centre of the playfield in a
small honeycomb layout. Lit cars have been awarded, blank cars haven't, and
the flashing one will be awarded next. (Note: No cars will flash unless the
Pit is lit to challenge). Cars can be collected by:
- Route 66 award
- The Challenge
- Locking balls (first multiball only)
- Completing (winning) the Drag Race.
The cars are:
1953 Blue Flame Six
1963 Grand Sport
1963 "Fuelie" split window Coupe
1967 Stingray L-88
1971 LT-1 Stingray
1978 Indy Pace Car L-82
1982 Collector Edition L-83
1989 Corvette Challenge L-98
1993 ZR-1 40th Anniversary LT-5
When all cars are completed, you start a puzzle mode. This was quite
good. All shots are lit, and each one adds a piece to the Jigsaw Puzzle on
the screen. There are 9 pieces. When the puzzle is complete, it shows a 1997
Corvette! Four ball multiball will start with the left ramp (Engine Jackpot)
being worth 25M * balls-in-play, for a range of 50-100M.
The cars reset after puzzle mode. (On older ROMs, they remain lit, and you
can no longer get any. However, the drag race keeps getting harder.)
Challenge:
----------
This is lit at the pit by shooting all of the flashing Speed Parts. They are
the blue inlays that flash when need to be hit.
Big Block - left orbit
Hi Lift Cams - left ramp
Six Speed Trans - left ramp
Fuelie - side loop
Nitrous - side loop
Sticky Hires - side ramp
Big breaks - right orbit
Z07 Suspension - right orbit
Supercharger - right orbit
The pit (when not lit for Challenge) will spot a Blue light, and light
Challenge if necessary.
The actual challenge is really cool. The machine is the red car, and the
player has the blue car. The red car will start moving forward slowly (the
more times you race, the faster the red car gets..), as does the blue car.
To advance the blue car, shot anything [the flashing arrow shots will advance
the most]. The whole thing is played out on the display too, which is good
for when (err .. I mean if!) the hardware breaks. If you win you get heaps of
points (not sure how it's worked out) and a great animation. If you loose
you only get a few points, and the condescending message "Better luck next
time".
If you shoot the Pit during the Challenge, the display shows a pit crew
working on your car, complete with appropriate sounds. If you keep hitting
the flipper buttons, your car will catch up to the red car. If you're in
front of the red car, nothing will happen.
It also seems that whenever you flip, the blue car will be advanced a bit,
this means that if you flip like a madman, you only need a few shots to win.
After the first few Challenges, you need to hit so many shots that flipping
a win is almost impossible anyway.
Turbo Boost:
------------
Light this by completing the Three bank on the left of the playfield. The
spinner will be lit for 500k per spin. The sound is very much like Super
Spinner in Star Trek. There is a Turbo Boost part of the end of ball Bonus,
but it is NOT the total of this mode. It must have something to do with the
targets.
Qualify:
--------
Going through the right inlane lights the left orbit for Qualify. It is
worth 15 million initially, then 5 million more each time. An upper limit
is not knowen at this point.
Bonus Multipliers:
------------------
Complete the LT1 lanes above the bumpers to increase the Bonus X. It goes
from 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x and light extra ball. After 8x, completing LT1 awards
10 Million, then 15 Million, then 20 Million and so on.
Spark Plug awards:
------------------
All shots (except the Pit) have an arrow. Shooting lit shots count up
Spark Plugs. Every 8 Spark Plugs alternates between: Points, and Light
Race Today. There is an extra ball in there that reflexes around 9ish.
The spark plugs in the animation, are actually AC/Delco plugs. I'm sure
this info is usefull for somebody.
Track Combos:
-------------
There are plenty of Track Combos in the game, awarded for makeing certain
shots. Each ball has a new total for all combos, ie: when a combo is awarded,
you get (all combo values)+(value of this combo). See the values below:
Two shot Tracks:
- Grand Prix: Right Orbit -> Side Ramp (+12M)
- Sebring: Right Orbit -> Side Loop (+12M)
- Hurburgring: Right Orbit -> Right Ramp (+12?)
- Mid-Ohio: Engine -> Side Ramp (+6M)
- Lime Rock: Engine -> Side Loop (+6M)
- Robeling Road: Side Loop -> Side Ramp (+10M)
- Road Atlanta: Left Orbit -> Engine (+8?)
Three shot Tracks:
- Elkton Lane: Engine -> Side Loop -> Side Ramp (+24M)
- Willow Springs: Right Orbit -> Side Loop -> Side Ramp (+20M?)
Bonus Count:
============
End of ball bonus is added up fast ... very fast. It is made up of:
Big points. (Seems to be 500k * Ball Number)
10 Million * number of cars collected. Maxes at 90 Million
8 Million if you complete RAUCOUS
4 Million per Track Combo (resets each ball)
Turbo Boost total (if necessary)
This all adds up to:
(4M/track + Raucous + Turbo Boost + Big Points) * BonusX + 10M*cars.
High Scores:
============
As well as the usual Grand Champ and four best scores, we also have:
Future Car Champ: Highest Future Car score.
World Speed Record: Most consecutive orbit shots.
Cornering Champ: Most consecutive Small Loop shots.
Credits are awarded for all of these, but only a max of 2 credits for High
scores will be awarded. So if you get GC, you will not get any more credits.
I like this arrangement.
Bugs/Easter Eggs:
=================
So far we we know of the following:
- There is a Super Skill Shot. See that section under Rules for more info.
- Hitting a flipper button before plunging causes the motor to shake (along
with a cool reving sound, although not as cool as Getaway.)
- Cow: One of the tracks is the Holisten Track - which is a cows head.
- In some places, Special Edition is spelt Special Adition. This occurs
on the display only, and not on the playfield.
- The ball can get stuck under the Route 66 ramp when you miss a shot to the
side ramp by a little bit, or almost make it up and it comes flying back
down and wedges it self pretty well. Usually flipping a lot will take
care of the problem, but not always.
- The lock can time out on later rounds DURING rev-mode! That means you can
sit there and rev away, lock times out, it merrily kicks the ball back at
you without starting multiball.
- Skill Shot Bug 1: It seems that if the ball doesn't go into the roll
over lanes, the ball saver doesn't come on. Grrrr
- I have seen skill shot lit->ball save->skill shot not lit->ball save->
skill shot _lit_.
- Big Breaks activates the one-way gate so that it sort of simulates the
car screeching to a halt right in front of the cliff... The animation
is pretty nifty, but that closed gate kind of annoying, probably because
it's unexpected.
Match Animation:
================
The match animation is fantastic. It is far too good to describe here!
How the Engine Works:
=====================
I had a quick look at the manual today. Here is a very rough ascii drawing
of how the solanoids fit in.... [It is NOT a drawing of the engine, just a
guide as to how the solanoids tilt it.]
Note: X is the pivot point
Solanoid B is right behind solanoid A.
Solanoid D is right behind solanoid C.
All four coils are standard 1200 coils.
--------------------X--------------------
| |
| Shaft | Shaft
| |
------- -------
| | | |
| | | |
| | Solanoid A | | Solanoid C
| | | |
---------- ----------
Solanoids A and B are controlled by two separate transisters, but the two
transisters _seem_ to receive the same signales. The same applies for
solanoids C and D. To tilt the Engine left, solanoids A and B are energized
fully, and to tilt the engine right, solanoids C and D are energized fully.
The 128 different positions are achieved 'dimming' the solanoids, so that
(for example) solanoids A amd B will have 1/4 or the voltage, and at the
same time, solanoids C and D have 3/4 of the voltage. This would result in
a half tilt right.
The board that controls all of this is connected via a ribbon cable to some
junk in the backbox. There are no (that I could tell) regular solanoid driver
transistor connected to this board.
The machine can only "tell" the Engine where in the 128 range to go, but if
the engine jams, the machine won't know. There are optos to indicate when the
engine is fully left, or right. The whole thing is calabrated after a slam
tilt, or powercycle. It takes about 10 seconds, and really shows the power
and flexibility of the system.
Now remember, all this was derived by a 20 second peek at the manual (I was
hungery!), so please forgive the errors.
You may be thinking "Wow, why such a complex design to tilt a plastic engine".
Well it's actually really simple. No Motor or Gears which is the biggest cause
of problems with things like the Path Of Adventure (Indiana Jones) and the
Guns in Star Trek. Also, most techs are familiar with solanoids (and the
ones uesed here are very common) so they should have no difficulty when it
comes to fixing it.